The Duchy is not to be confused in historiography with the Palatine County of Burgundy or Franche-Comté, with which it was sometimes linked as a personal union, or with the preceding two medieval Kingdoms of Burgundy (the last ended in 1378, when the remnants were absorbed by France, spawning the duchy).

The Duchy of Burgundy (1032–1477) was heir to an ancient and prestigious patrimony and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy. In its own right, it was one of the larger ducal territories that existed at the time of the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.

Even in its diminished size as it existed in the Early Modern Period, the duchy played a pivotal role in Europe's politics long after it lost its role as an independent political identity ended in 1477 due to marriages and wars over territories between princes who were related to former rulers. It was demoted to a ducal rank in 1363 and awarded to a cadet branch inheritance via salic law that was divided between two heirs as a territorial remnant of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy — other portions passed to another cadet branch as well as the Free County of Burgundy. The duchy roughly conforms to the borders and territories of the modern region of Bourgogne, but its dukes came to own considerable possessions in the Low Countries known as the Burgundian Netherlands, which were caught up in the Eighty Years' War of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and some of which later became free territories at the end of the Dutch Revolt during the Thirty Years' War.

Burgundy can refer to:

Engelbert II of Nassau, Engelbrecht in Dutch, (Breda, May 17 1451 – Brussels, May 31 1504), was count of Nassau and Vianden, lord of Breda and Lek, Diest, Roosendaal, Nispen and Wouw. He was a soldier and courtier, for some time leader of the Privy council of the Duchy of Burgundy, and a significant patron of the arts.

His father was Jan IV of Nassau and his mother was Maria of Loon-Heinsberg. On December 19 1468 he married Cimburga van Baden in Koblenz.

He was lord of Breda between 1475 and 1504. In 1472 he concluded a treaty with his brother Jan V of Nassau-Vianden-Diez in which he received the possessions left of the Rhine. Charles the Bold made him a knight in the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1473. After the death of Charles the bold, Engelbert entered in the service of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, who had married Charles's daughter Mary of Burgundy. In 1487, he is captured by the French in the Battle of Béthune, and released for ransom 2 years later. In 1496 he was appointed stadtholder of Flanders.

Johannes Ockeghem (also Jean de, Jan; surname Okeghem, Ogkegum, Okchem, Hocquegam, Ockegham; other variant spellings are also encountered) (1410/1425 – February 6, 1497) was the most famous composer of the Franco-Flemish School in the last half of the 15th century, and is often considered the most influential composer between Dufay and Josquin des Prez. In addition to being a renowned composer, he was also an honored singer, choirmaster, and teacher.

The spelling of Ockeghem's name comes from a supposed autograph of his which survived as late as 1885, and as reported by E. Giraudet, a historian in Tours; the document has since been lost. In 15th century sources, the spelling "Okeghem" predominates.

Ockeghem is believed to have been born in Saint-Ghislain, Belgium. His birthdate is unknown; dates as early as 1410, and as late as 1430 have been proposed. The earlier date is based on the possibility that he knew Binchois in Hainaut before the older composer moved from Mons to Lille in 1423. Ockeghem would have to have been younger than 15 at the time. This particular speculation derives from Ockeghem's reference, in the lament he wrote on the death of Binchois in 1460, to a chanson by Binchois dated to that time. In this lament Ockeghem not only honored the older composer by imitating his style, but also revealed some useful biographical information about him. The comment by the poet Guillaume Crétin, in the lament he wrote on Ockeghem's death in 1497, "it was a great shame that a composer of his talents should die before 100 years old", is also often taken as evidence for the earlier birthdate for Ockeghem.

War Machine (James Rupert Rhodes) is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics universe. The character of James Rhodes first appeared in Iron Man #118 (January 1979) by David Michelinie, John Byrne and Bob Layton. The War Machine armor, which became Rhodes' signature armored battlesuit, was designed by Len Kaminski and Kevin Hopgood.

Also known by his nickname Rhodey, Rhodes has been a featured character in the Iron Man animated series, Iron Man: Armored Adventures and The Invincible Iron Man animated film. He was first portrayed by actor Terrence Howard in the 2008 film Iron Man. Don Cheadle replaced Howard in the 2010 sequel Iron Man 2 and will reprise the role in Iron Man 3.

In addition to Iron Man and his own title War Machine, Rhodes has been featured in the ensemble titles West Coast Avengers; Force Works by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning; Sentinel Squad O*N*E; The Crew by Christopher Priest; and Avengers: The Initiative by Dan Slott and Christos Gage. Rhodes was also featured in the alternate-reality Marvel MAX imprint's U.S. War Machine series by Chuck Austen, and U.S. War Machine 2.0, by Austen and Christian Moore.